Rotary engine.



No. 680,259. I Patented Aug. I3, I90I.

E. C. LONG.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Hay 2, 1900.)

No. 680,259. Patented Aug.v la, |901.

E. c. LONG.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed May 2, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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.MJ ma# Y n cams Pains co., wow-uma., wnsmnavou u c vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

vFLMER C. LONG, OF MONROE CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-THIRD TO EDMUND P. MELSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part o'f Letters Patent No. 680,259, dated August 13, 1901.

Application led May 2, 1900. Serial No. 15,244. (No model.)

To coZ whom, t may concern.: 11, said shaft having also bearings in pillow- Be it known that I, ELMER C. LONG, a citiblocks mounted on the bed-plate 5. One of zen of the United States, residing at Monroe these pillow-blocks is shown at each end of City, in the county of Monroe and State of the bed-plate, and each consists of a base por- 55 5 Missouri, have invented a new and useful tion 12 and an upper portion 13, which latter Rotary Engine, of which the following is a is formed in two parts 14 and 15, each having specification. one-half of the bearing formed therein and This invention relates to steam-engines in held in mutual relation to support the shaft general, and more particularly to that class by means of the usual lag-screws, these screws 6o 1o known as rotary engines, although it will aordingl also means for adjusting the boxes be understood from the following description or journals of the shaft. that the principles involved maybe employed The upper and lower members 12 and13 of inran engine operable by other than steamthe pillow-blocks are connected by means of pressure, one object of the invention being to bolts engaging flanges upon the members, 65

15 provide a construction in which there will be and the upper members 12 have wedge-rean expansion of steam in an annular chamceiving slots 16 therein, which receive wedges ber in such a manner that the energy of the 17 in such positions that the wedges bear at steam will be exerted against a iiXed abutone side against the lowermembers 13 of the ment and a movable piston-head to contribute pillow-blocks and at their upper sides against 7o 2o rotary motion to a shaft carrying the head. the upper sides of the slots 16. The wedges A further object of the invention is to prohave threaded stems 1S, which project from vide such a construction and arrangement of between the block members 12 and 13, and the cylinder and the parts therein, as also of with these stems are engaged nuts 19, which the cut-olf mechanism and movable abutment, areadapted to be screwed up to impinge the 75 z5 as will develop the greatest efiiciency in the ends of the block-sections and draw the engine. y wedges outwardly, Jlhus causing the thick- In the drawings forming a portion of this ened ends of the wedges to engage the shallow specification, and in which like numerals of portion of the wedge-slot and give a wedging reference indicate similar parts in the seveffect to raise the upper member 12 and there- 8o 3o eral views, Figure 1 is a central vertical secwith-the shaft. Thus the engine-shaft may tion taken through the cylinder of the engine, be adjusted, so as to bring the shaft in axial the steam-chest, and the abutment-chest and alinement with the cylinder to prevent bindshowing parts of the structure in elevation. ing.

Fig. 2 is an end View of the complete engine In lthe present instance the cylinder and 85 35 with the pillow-blocks at one end of the shaft the head 2O at the inner end thereof are removed from the bed-plate. Fig. 3 is a rear formed integral, although, as will be underend view of the cylinder of the engine with stood, they may be formed separate, and conthe rear head removed, parts of the cylinder centric with the cylinder and interiorly therebeing shown in section. Fig.. -t is a'central of is formed an annular flange 21, so that the 9o 4o section of the piston-hub and showing the cylinder comprises an outer annular expanpiston-head in elevation. sion-chamber 22 and an inner chamber 23,

Referring now to the drawings, the engine which is cylindrical, the ange 2l being someof the present invention is mounted upon a what shorter than the length of the cylinder, bed-plate 5 and comprises a cylinder 6, which so that the expansion-chamber communicates 95 45 is held to one end of the bed-plate by bolts with the central chamber, as shown.

or screws 7, passed through a lug 8 upon the The shaft 11 projects into the central cybed-plate and into the end of the cylinder, lindrical chamber of the cylinder, and upon or is fastened in place in any other suitable this end of the shaft is fixed the hub 25 of manner. The cylinder 6 has a central bearthe piston, said hub being directly splined roo 5o ing opening 9, provided with the usual stuffto a bushing 26, which is in turn splined to ing-box lO, which receives the engine-shaft the shaft, as shown. The hub is increased slightly in diameter at its outer end, as shown at 27, to fit the portion 28 of increased diameter of the central chamber of the cylinder, and extending radially from the hub is the web 29, which carries the piston-head 30 at its outerend. This web 29 is of such dimensions that it fits snugly between the outer end of the flange 2l and the inner face of the cylinder-head 3l, which is secured in the usual manner against the adjacent end of the cylinder, while the piston-head is rectangular in outline and lits snugly in the expansion-chamber of the engine. The pressurereceiving face 32 of the piston lies radially of the hub, while the opposite face thereof is curved in the direction of a tangent to the huh, so that it is thicker at the Web 29 in the direction of rotation than at its'outer end. The side edges of the piston-head are pro-- vided with packing-strips 34, which effectively pack the head in the cylinder and prevent leakage of steam past the head.

The steam for the engine is first supplied to a steam-chest 35, from which leads asteaminlet passage 36 to the cylinder, this passage being governed by a rotary cut-off valve, which is operated in a manner hereinafter set forth. Below the steam-chest is formed the abutment-chest 37, in which is located the slidable abutment 38, said abutment-chest having communication with the cylinder and being so disposed that when the abutment 39 is moved from its chest into the cylinder it will lie transversely of the expansion-chamber of the engine, said abutment being of such size as to snugly iit with its upper and lower edges iu longitudinal slots 39 and 40 in the inner face of the cylinder and the outer face of the flange 2l, respectively, and the outer cylinder-head has also a recess 41, which receives the outer end of the abutment, so that when the abutment is projected into the expansion-chamber it is held positively against displacement by steam-pressure. It will be noted that the slot 39 is broadened at its upper end and that the sides of said slot are tapered downwardly, and also that the engaging edge of the abutment is similarly formed. The object of this construction is in order that the Wear of the abutment against the sides of the slot 39 may be taken up, and the abutment will be by gravity held against the rear faces of the slots with which it is engaged, so that no hammering can ensue when steam-pressure is admitted against the pressure-receiving face of the abutment. It will be understood that without the construction shown if the abutment is the least bit loose then the inflow of pressure will throw the abutment to the limit of its movement with violence, causing a hammering noise. The exhaust-port 42 ispositioned at a point about two hundred and seventy degrees from the abutment in the direction of rotation of the piston, so that the steam is exhausted when the piston has completed about three-fourths of a rotation.

In order to operate the abutment to project it into the cylinder during the inflow of steam and to withdraw it after the exhaust, so that the piston-head may pass by it, the abutment is provided with an operating reciprocatory rod 44, which is passed through a stumng-box 45 at the rear end of the abutment-chest, and the outer end of this rod is slidably mounted in the upright 46. A collar 47 is fixed uponV the shaft ll and has a laterally-extending cam 4S, one end of which is beveled and the other end abrupt. A second collar 49 is loosely mounted on the shaft 1l and has a lateral lug 50, having a beveled end and an abrupt end, the lugs of the collars being disposed toward each other in such manner that in the operative rotation of the engineshaft the beveled portions of the lugs will mutually engage, forcing the loose collar along the shaft until the lugs have passed one beyond the other, after which the loose collar will be returned. The loose collar has a lug 5l to which is pivoted one end of a link 52, the opposite end of the link being pivoted to a lever 53, pivoted to an upright 54 upon the bed-plate, and the upper end of lever 53 is connected with the rod 44 by means of a link 55, so that as the loose collar is reciprocated on the engine-shaft under the influence of the engagement of the cams the abutment will be correspondingly moved. To return the collars, and therewith the abutment, to project the latter into the cylinder with a swift movement, a dash-pot 56 of usual construction is provided, this pot having connection with the crank-arm 57 on the lever 53.

In order to operate the rotary cut-olf valve, the common form of Gorliss valve-movement is employed. The valve-rod 60 is extended through the upright 46 and at its outer end is mounted the rocker 61, having the hook 62 at its outer end, which is adapted to engage the squared block 63 upon the crank-arm 64, which is fixed to the valve-rod, said hook being held in operative position bya spring 65. A dash-pot is connected with the outer end of the crank-arm, and as the rocker is moved in one direction it engages the hook with the block and raises the end of the crank-arm, after which it releases it, and the dash-pot returns the arm and therewithl the valve-rod, this oscillation of the rod acting to correspondingly move the cut-oft' valve. The latch or hook is disengaged from the block by moving it pivotally therefrom, and to secure this pivotal action the hook is pivotally mounted on the rocker and has an arm 70, which lies against a cam 7l on the valve-rod. This cam is adjustably mounted and isconnected with a 'common form of ballastto rotate it, so that at different points of its rotation it will release the hook from the block at diiferent stages of rotation of the engine. This structure is well known and requires no further explanation. Y

The removable cylinder-head has a central recess 75, in which is disposed a cylindrical IOO IIO

wear-plate 76, which rests against the outer end of the piston-hub and is held in close contact therewith through the medium of a helical spring 77, disposed Within this hollow wear plate or block and resting With its ends against the wear-block and against the bottom of the recess of the cylinder-head. This helical spring encircles a set-screw 78, which latter acts to hold the spring in place and also to limit the outward movement of the plate. Pins 7 9, engaging perforations in the wear-block and cylinder-head, prevent the block from rotating under the influence of the piston-hub.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings there is shown a second eXhaustopening 42', fliametrically opposite to the opening 42, which opening 42 is employed only when two piston-heads are used, and in this event said heads are at diametrically opposite points of the piston-hub. When two heads are used, there is less expansion of each charge of steam in the engine and lonly the maximum expansion of each charge is employed, so that greater effective energy of the engine is secured.

1. .A rotary engine comprising a cylinder having a fixed head at one end and a removable head at the opposite end, a central annular flange upon the inner face of the fixed head and extending to a point adjacent to the removable head, and forming an inner cylindrical chamber and an outer annular expansion-chamber having a communicating passage, a shaft passed through the fixed cylinder-head and terminating short of the removable head, which latter has a recess in its inner face, a hub fixed to the shaft and having a radial web lying between they end of the flange and the removable head of the cylinder, said Web having a head at its outer end fitting the expansion-chamber, ahollow cylindrical Wear-block in the recess of the removable head and having one end closed and disposed against the end of the piston-hub, a set-screw passed through the removable head and into the wear-block for engagement with the closed end thereof to limit its rearward movement, and a helical spring disposed upon the screw and having its ends bearing against the wear-block and the bottom of the recess to hold the block yieldably in operative position.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a base having pillow-blocks thereon, of ashaft mounted in said blocks, a cylinder at one end of the base and into which the shaft is passed, a piston within the cylinder and fixed upon the shaft for rotating it, an abutment-chest communicating with the cylinder, a slidable abutment in the chest for movement into and out of the cylinder, an upright between the pillow-blocks and having bearings, an operating-rod connected with the abutment and disposed slidably in a bearing of the upright, a cam upon the shaft, a collar upon the shaft and adapted for sliding movement by the cam, a rock-lever mounted vupon the base and connected at one end with the collar and at the other with the abutment-rod'v through the medium of links, a dash-pot connected with the rock-lever, a steam-chest, an oscillatory cut-off valve in the steam-chest, a rod for the valve disposed in a bearing of the upright, and eccentric connections between the shaft and valve-rod for operating the latter, the rods and shaft lying in a common vertical plane and the eccentric connections lying be= yond the end of the abutment-rod.

3. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder having an annular iiange on the inner face of a head thereof and concentric therewith, a central opening in the anged head, a shaft disposed in said opening and extending part Way through the cylinder, a piston having a hub fixed upon the shaft and extending into the inclosure of the flange and against the inner face of which it has a bearing, said piston having a head lying between the flange and the outer wall of the cylinder, and an adjustable wear-block held between the inner end of the shaft and the adjacent head of the cylinder and against the end of the piston.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ELMER C. LONG.

Witnesses: HARRY H. HOLLANDER, GEO. H. CHANALIE. 

